Also saw no way to figure out Lady Gaga in Singers for $400. Lots of female singes can be called "flamboyant".

I think I speak for a lot of people on this board when I say that this is frustrating. The way to figure it out is quite obvious. They showed a picture of the singer's face. You have mentioned many, many times that you have great trouble distinguishing faces, particularly of famous people. OK, fine. So maybe there's no way for you to do well on these types of clues. You should still be able to recognize that the clue was straightforward.

My issue was that "flamboyant female singer" does not exclusively pinpoint Lady Gaga. There are lots of flamboyant female singers.

No, but "flamboyant female singer" + A PICTURE OF HER FREAKING FACE does. And you know that, even if the latter data point is not particularly useful to you.

Aloud, say "drum" and say "trom" and then tell us that they don't sound anything like each other.

I dunno, it sounds more like it could be "trumpeter".

Or maybe they could stop using "sounds like" as the only way to pin a clue. That sounded like "drummer" to you, "trumpeter" to me, and who knows what it could sound like to a third person...

De bob -- this person who gets friends home safely

I didn't pick up the suggestion of "safely after a night of drinking" and was trying to turn carpooling or Uber/Lyft driving into a single word. Then when "designated driver" came up, I figured it was wrong because no way would it be a word that short.

In a casino, de handelaar

There are lots of jobs in a casino, and once again, with "sounds like" being the only way to narrow it down, I was stumped.

The bottom two I'll chalk up to being unfamiliar with "Dutch uncle" or a "striker" in soccer.

There are lots of jobs in a casino, and once again, with "sounds like" being the only way to narrow it down, I was stumped.

There are a lot of jobs EVERYWHERE. But if the clue mentions "casino", it's not going to be "janitor" or "HR professional" or "marketing executive". It's going to be something casino-specific - dealer or pit boss. "Handelaar" sounds like "Handler" (and is a generic Dutch word for "merchant"). It's someone who handles something, in a casino. Not sure what else fits.

Aloud, say "drum" and say "trom" and then tell us that they don't sound anything like each other.

I dunno, it sounds more like it could be "trumpeter".

Or maybe they could stop using "sounds like" as the only way to pin a clue. That sounded like "drummer" to you, "trumpeter" to me, and who knows what it could sound like to a third person...

Ok, let's say that it sounds close enough to trumpeter - it's still just a $200 clue (it was $200, right?). A 50/50 guess is not typical for a $200 clue but it's not that uncommon either. The writers probably considered that someone would say "Tequila Sunrise" even after giving Harper Lee (a completely different Lee!). So someone picks up a clue on a rebound if you make a bad guess.

(And it turns out that "trumpeter" is "trompetter," by the way).

And counting on the fact that Dutch isn't exactly a common language taught or spoken in the United States/Canada, the writers came up with a whole category that is going to be based on "sounds like" or "looks like" based on the fact that Dutch and English both have a basis in German. Dutch has even been described as being somewhat between German and English (not sure if I buy it but there are obviously some strong similarities).

So here's the best news: you're in good company with everyone else who had to take a leap of faith on what those clues meant.

So you don’t like clues that rely on “sounds like” and faces/visual clues don’t work for you either. So what types of clues/pinning do you like? Would you like every clue to read exactly the same (preferably on things you’re interested in)?

Obviously the show tests a wide range of knowledge, but it also provides a wide range of ways how to access that knowledge. I’m guessing you’re not comfortable with that diversity in question writing and mental gymnastics.

... Not even a guess on FJ! I couldn't think of a legendary British woman at all. The name doesn't ring any bells, either. I am vaguely aware that a Guinevere exists in Arthurian lore, but knowing nothing actually about her, I was high and dry.

2018

I saw no way to decode this FJ!, since the correct response is unfamiliar to me.

... Not even a guess on FJ! I couldn't think of a legendary British woman at all. The name doesn't ring any bells, either. I am vaguely aware that a Guinevere exists in Arthurian lore, but knowing nothing actually about her, I was high and dry.

2018

I saw no way to decode this FJ!, since the correct response is unfamiliar to me.

********
Good luck in 2020.

You know, this is one area where I would cut him a bit of slack. There are plenty of things about which I would say "I never heard of that" that in fact I have heard of, but they did not stick in my memory bank. I wouldn't necessarily demand that TPH prove that everything he claims to has never heard of is in fact something he has literally never ever heard of.

... Not even a guess on FJ! I couldn't think of a legendary British woman at all. The name doesn't ring any bells, either. I am vaguely aware that a Guinevere exists in Arthurian lore, but knowing nothing actually about her, I was high and dry.

2018

I saw no way to decode this FJ!, since the correct response is unfamiliar to me.

********
Good luck in 2020.

You know, this is one area where I would cut him a bit of slack. There are plenty of things about which I would say "I never heard of that" that in fact I have heard of, but they did not stick in my memory bank. I wouldn't necessarily demand that TPH prove that everything he claims to has never heard of is in fact something he has literally never ever heard of.

I am sure we have all said we have never heard of something before when that statement is not literally true as it has just slipped our mind. But we don't say it every day on here and then get quoted to when we said it the last time it came up on the show.

The British Museum is very famous and worth remembering. I have trouble on some of British Museum clues because they can be phrased to avoid the terms "British" and "Museum." They don't write "This British Museum has a collection of Egyptian pieces" because that would belong in the Stupid Answers category. When they write "This London collection has Egyptian pieces" it throws me off and I don't always get what they're looking for.

"Cool Runnings" is a movie you should go watch. It's about a bobsled team in Jamaica and the struggle they face to compete in a winter sport on an island with a tropical climate.

I had a dream that I was asleep and then I woke up and Jeopardy! was on.